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Cortez Bridge presentation details fixed-span bridge

Cortez Bridge presentation details fixed-span bridge

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

CORTEZ – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is holding a public information meeting on the Cortez Bridge replacement project on Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 6-8 p.m. in the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church’s Pfrangle Hall at 6101 Cortez Road in Bradenton.

Documents to be presented are available online for those who cannot attend at the project website.

The in-person meeting will be an open house-style event that allows attendees to review the bridge replacement project materials at their own pace. No formal presentation will be given, but meeting attendees can pose questions to project team members and leave written comments as well.

Comments can also be emailed to FDOT Project Manager Ryan Weeks at Ryan.Weeks@dot.state.fl.us, mailed to Ryan Weeks/Florida Department of Transportation, District One, P.O. Box 1249, Bartow, Florida 33831-1249 or submitted online at the project website.

The project materials pertain to the construction of a fixed-span bridge that will replace the existing drawbridge. The materials presented for public review include a 19-minute video, presentation slides, display boards and a 3D animation.

The video provides details about the bridge construction process and the aesthetic design elements selected by the 11-member Bridge Aesthetics Committee (BAC), which includes local residents, business owners and Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie.

Cortez Bridge presentation details fixed-span bridge
The Cortez Bridge drawbridge was built in 1956 with an anticipated 50-year service life. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The narrated video notes the existing drawbridge that will be replaced was constructed in 1956 with an estimated 50-year service life, and multiple bridge repair and maintenance projects have occurred within the past 20 years.

The 90% completed plans will be submitted in the summer of 2023. Final design plans will be submitted in the spring of 2025. The construction project will be awarded to the chosen contractor in the summer of 2025 and construction is slated to begin in late 2025 or early 2026.

The new fixed-span bridge will be 2,930 feet long and consist of 19 spans. The existing drawbridge is 2.616 feet long, with 53 spans.

Cortez Bridge presentation details fixed-span bridge
The new Cortez Bridge will be built north of the existing drawbridge. The top image shows the Bradenton Beach end of the bridge. The bottom image shows the Cortez end of the bridge. – FDOT | Submitted

The new bridge will be built north of the existing bridge, with horizontal curves introduced at each end of the bridge to bring the alignment back to match the existing roadway alignment. Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists will continue to use the existing bridge until the new bridge is capable of handling that traffic.

A minimum vertical clearance of 65 feet will be provided above the 100-foot-wide navigational channel located below the center of the bridge and delineated by a fender system.

Cortez Bridge presentation details fixed-span bridge
The new bridge will provide at least 65 feet of vertical clearance at its highest point, with a delineated navigation channel below. – FDOT | Submitted

There will be retaining walls at four locations: two at the west end of the bridge and two at the east end of the bridge. The walls will serve as transitions from the bridge to the roadway. The BAC selected a multi-wave design pattern for the walls.

Cortez Bridge presentation details fixed-span bridge
Retaining walls will be built at both ends of the new bridge. – FDOT | Submitted

BAC members considered nine different pier styles and selected multi-column piers with cheek walls. The committee considered nine pedestrian railing alternatives and chose the wave infill pattern. They considered three overlook options and selected the rounded, open overlook shape, without benches.

The BAC members selected the color pallet that will include blue railings, sand/tan for the bridge and piers and white and off-white for accents. They also selected the outside face lighting option.

Cortez Bridge presentation details fixed-span bridge
The new bridge will feature blue railings and light poles. – FDOT | Submitted

Three stormwater retention ponds will be located along the west end of the bridge in Bradenton Beach: one in front of the Bradenton Beach police station, one in front of the Bradenton Beach Marina and another in front of the Bradenton Beach Marina that will extend under the first span of the bridge and require the existing pedestrian and bike path under the bridge to be reconfigured.

Cortez Bridge presentation details fixed-span bridge
A new road called Hunters Point Way will connect Cortez Road to 127th Street West. – FDOT | Submitted

One retention pond will be located on the east end of the bridge, near the Hunters Point Resort & Marina property. The eastern side of the project will also include the construction of a new road called Hunters Point Way that will connect Cortez Road and 127th Street West and provide access to the Seafood Shack, Tide Tables and the other businesses and homes in that vicinity.

Cortez Bridge meeting scheduled

Cortez Bridge meeting scheduled

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Cortez, Featured.

CORTEZ – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will host a public information meeting for the pending Cortez Road bridge replacement project.

FDOT’s in-person presentation is scheduled on Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 6-8 p.m. in the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church’s Pfrangle Hall at 6101 Cortez Road in Bradenton.

The in-person meeting will be an open house-style event that allows attendees to review the bridge project materials at their own pace. Attendees can pose questions and comments to attending project team members but no formal presentation will be given.

FDOT will provide online access to the public meeting materials that address design details and aesthetics, construction phasing and traffic maintenance associated with its plans to replace the existing drawbridge, built in 1956, with a fixed-span bridge that at its highest point will provide 65 feet of vertical clearance for vessels passing below it. The informational meeting is not advertised as a continuation of the fixed-span vs. drawbridge debate that continues to be a source of opposition for some residents and elected officials.

Cortez Bridge meeting scheduled
The existing Cortez Bridge drawbridge was built in 1956. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“The same information will be presented at both the live in-person venue and online at the project website so attending both is not needed,” according to the recent meeting-related newsletter distributed by FDOT.

On Tuesday. Jan. 24, the online meeting materials will be posted at the FDOT District One road projects website.

Comments or questions may be submitted during the public meeting, at the project website or to FDOT Project Manager Ryan Weeks by phone at 863-519-2837, by email at Ryan.Weeks@dot.state.fl.us, or by regular mail addressed to Ryan Weeks, Florida Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 1249, Bartow, Florida 33831.

“While comments about the project are accepted at any time, please submit your comments by Feb. 10 to be included in the meeting summary,” the FDOT newsletter says.

According to the road projects website, “The project includes the bridge and roadway approaches from SR 789/Gulf Drive (in Bradenton Beach) to 123rd Street West (in Cortez), a distance of about 0.9 miles.”

The website notes FDOT previously formed a Bridge Aesthetics Committee (BAC) consisting of community representatives from Cortez and Bradenton Beach to provide input on the bridge’s aesthetics. The committee members include Joe Adorna, Mike Bazzy, Karen Bell, Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie, David Galuska, Connie Morrow, Ann Marie Nicholas, Joe Rogers, Jeff Vey, Gloria Weir and Bobby Woodsen.

Several BAC meetings and additional small group meetings occurred between August 2020 and November 2021 and future meetings will be added as more information becomes available.

Cortez Bridge meeting scheduled

The fixed-span bridge will include a buffered pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists. – FDOT | SubmittedAccording to the website, “To date, the BAC has determined the following, may be altered in the final design:

  • “Preference is for aesthetically enhanced multi-column pier with a waterline footing. The exterior face of the column would be in line with the exterior face of the bridge deck. Cheekwalls would extend from the top of the pier to the underside of the deck at all pier locations.
  • “Preference is for four overlooks, located on the north and south side of the bridge at the two piers on either side of the main channel.
  • “Preference for substructure lighting on the exterior faces of the pier columns.
  • “A custom ‘wave’ infill pattern is suggested for the bridge pedestrian railings.”

FDOT’s roads projects website also includes a link to a project-specific website.

According to the Cortez Bridge website, “The design phase of Cortez Bridge began in October 2019 and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2025. Right-of-way is funded in fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024. Construction is funded in fiscal year 2025.”

According to the project-specific website, “The need for the project was based on the functional obsolescence and structural condition of the existing bridge. Due to the naturally corrosive saltwater environment, the bridge continues to deteriorate and will need additional repairs in the future. The condition of the bridge is anticipated to deteriorate further as the structure has exceeded its 50-year service life. Replacement of the bridge will address the condition of the structure and reinforce the connection between Anna Maria Island and the mainland of Manatee County.”